Worker's Obesity Could Be Disability Under ADA, Judge Says

By Jeff Sistrunk

Law360, Los Angeles (April 24, 2014, 3:21 PM ET) -- A Missouri federal judge ruled on Thursday that a former employee of a car dealership who has accused his employer of firing him for his weight has sufficiently supported his claim that he is disabled within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act, rejecting the dealership's motion to dismiss the suit.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. said dealership chain America's Car-Mart Inc. relied on outdated case law in arguing that former employee Joseph Whittaker's "severe obesity" isn't a disability under the ADA....